Can't comment directly, but one of my kiting buddies just picked up a Shinn Dundee 135x44 last week. He's in the Bahamas all this week. I'm curious how he'll like it too. I'll ask him to comment when he get's back.

You seem a little light for the 135x44 in my opinion........but maybe ok if it's your lightwind board too.

The good thing about the Dundee is that you can take a lot of width (makes it very early planing and good upwind) yet the board feels small. It's tactile too so you do feel very involved, especially important as the wind rises. IMHO 165lb/75kg you are pushing the upper envelope on the 42 wide as far as an all round board goes, and the only reason to go for a 44 is if you want a board to perform in underpowered conditions. The Dundee is a naturally efficient board and does very well in lightwinds, especially in rough chop.The other standout board in the Shinn range is the Monk Forever, but this excels under power, I personally think that if you are using light/medium power then the Dundee is a better board for you..good luck!

I have an 09 North X-Ride 135 x 39 and just bought a Shinn Dundee 133 x 42 from a friend. Mike Birt also suggested getting a smaller Dundee for my 158 lbs body weight to use as an all around or as a higher wind board, but the price was right and thought what the heck.

Last Sunday I rode in 20-35 mph winds (gusty) 7 meter Cabrinha Vector when it was windy, and my 9 m Airush Lithium when it backed off to 20-27 mph. I was riding in small ocean swell and some chop. I'm impressed with the Dundee. It was never really too big for me. That being said, there were a few times when I would let it rip and power it up. I could begin to feel that yes, it would be better to have a narrower board (smaller overall board) underneath my feet and this board could get big, but all I did was slow things down and work on my carving turns and toeside riding (I'm a first year kiter). It was also fun swell riding and playing in the small waves. Control was excellent in the 30 plus mph gusts.

Compared to the X-Ride:

The Dundee is smoother. The X-Ride is also smooth so this is saying a lot.

It's better at riding through chop and swell. At no time did I feel like I was going to stuff the nose - esp. when I wasn't paying attention (X-Ride can stuff if I'm not loading up the back foot at times and or not paying attention, but is still decent overall). It's very forgiving, yet still exciting. The X-Ride also is decent in chop and fun to ride in swell but is just a tick below the Dundee in this area as well.

Though the X-Ride is smaller it has a flatter rocker and both seem to plane up about the same with a slight edge going to the Dundee. The Dundee's overall slightly bigger size does seem to give it better float in transitions and or in the lulls.

*The Dundee holds an edge better when driving upwind and seems to have a little better control despite it's larger overall surface area. The X-Rides narrower width is an advantage in control in higher winds but it's stiffer and has less rocker > this seems to offset's the narrow width advantage.

*Based on my long time windsurfing experience, these are my impressions of the two boards based on design differences and are just opinions. I could be wrong about the design criteria and how they affect performance. My experience > The X-Ride goes upwind very well is a fast board. The Dundee seems to be equal and possibly better in terms of upwind performance...Speed, well that's hard to tell but it feels at least as quick, if such things matter. Again I'm thinking from the perspective of a windsurfer

Oldkiter - Conclusion: I don't think at 165 lbs you'd be unhappy with a 133 x 42 Dundee. Although I don't have a vast experience with different boards (I'm riding a lot of different directionals strapless - feels lot's like windsurfing, well almost) I know what feels right. The Dundee is a wonderful board for my needs > small waves, open ocean swell, and smoothing out chop. It seems to have a great range and is very user friendly without being "unremarkable" in fact it's quite exciting to ride. Given I'm very happy to ride my North X-Ride and the Dundee seems outperform it up a notch overall, that's says a lot.

My 125 lbs friend also tried out the Dundee with her 5 meter in 25-35 mph winds. She really liked it and felt control wasn't an issue. She has an Ocean Rodeo Mako 140 and I asked her if there was any comparison - I heard the boards are similar in terms of smoothness. She said that the Mako is a very different board from the Dundee or from any board for that matter, but liked the Dundee's comfortable ride and user friendliness > she likes the straps and pads.

Oh ya, the Shinn straps are not only easier to adjust than the North but strap pad combo is mo more comfortable. The Shinn strap / pad also adjusts to accomodate my 5 mil booties very well. The North's don't adjust wide enough for the booties and it's hard to get my feet in the straps. I have to finess them in. It can be a big deal in 30 mph winds and 45 degrees.

oldkiter, I laughed when I saw your 5 mi bootie comment. I live in the Northeast and kite on Cape Cod. We experience a wide range of wind conditions throughout the year - it's quite good in the spring, summer, and fall, but in the winter wind is regular commodity. It's the air temps that are the challenge. In the right suit, we're quite comfortable in anything above 35 degrees and sunny - includes 5 mil gloves (try wearing holding on to a windsurfing boom with those on). Last Sunday it was a balmy 45 degrees and I was actually hot at times in my drysuit. Still, if I weren't into utilizing the wind for my pleasure I'd consider living somewhere else

Putting it into perspective, I spoke with my Dad in Minnesota yesterday. He told me that the temp finally reached zero. He was psyched. lol.

Btw, as good as the Dundee is, try the x-ride. You wouldn't be unhappy with it. My friend who rides directionals exclusively (he hates tt's - bad knees and doesn't like nose stuffing in waves) has a Jamie and tried my X-ride. He admits the x-ride works better for him and his style of riding > small waves, transitions, and cruising. He isn't into jumping.

At the start I marveled at how simple kiting is, and compared to windsurfing, how much less gear you really need. Now I'm starting up my collection of gear again, but I love it. It goes back to those windsurfing roots and being a gear pack rat, besides at only 5-800 dollars or so for a new board compared to @ 2 grand for a windsurfing shortboard. It's a bargain!

Hi windtzu - again, thanks for additional comments - very addicting sport but does end up with lots of gear which is getting more costly every year.

Also appreciate info on the Xride - I'm inclined now to get the 139 - a little big for my weight based on the North chart but I'm used to a 149 x 43 mutant so the 139 Xride should not feel too large in our lighter winds - maybe I can still learn some "pop" tricks (oh sure!).

I also understand your friend's issue with bad kness - almost everything is now bad on me!